Note: Javascript is disabled or is not supported by your browser. For this reason, some items on this page will be unavailable. For more information about this message, please visit this page: About CDC.gov.

CDC’s travel notices will be updated as more information becomes available. Travelers to areas with active Zika virus transmission who have not already been infected with Zika virus can get it from mosquito bites. Mosquitoes that spread Zika bite during the day and night. There is no vaccine or medicine for Zika virus.

The best way to avoid Zika virus infection is to prevent mosquito bites. Zika virus can also be passed through sex.

Some travelers to areas with Zika will become infected while traveling, but will not become sick until they return home, or they might not have any symptoms. To help stop the spread of Zika, travelers should take steps to prevent mosquito bites for three weeks after travel to areas with Zika.

Some people who are infected do not have any symptoms. People who do have symptoms have reported fever, rash, joint pain, and red eyes. The sickness is usually mild with symptoms that last from several days to a week. People usually don’t get sick enough to go to the hospital, and they very rarely die of Zika. Travelers to areas with Zika should watch for symptoms or sickness upon return. If they become sick, they should tell their healthcare professional when and where they have traveled.

CDC has received reports of Zika virus being spread through sex with sick returning travelers. Until more is known, CDC continues to recommend that pregnant women and women trying to become pregnant take the following precautions.

For additional information on preventing the spread of Zika through sex, visit www.cdc.gov/zika/transmission/sexual-transmission.html. Current CDC research suggests that Guillain-Barré syndrome (GBS) is strongly associated with Zika; however, only a small proportion of people with recent Zika virus infection get GBS. CDC is continuing to investigate the link between GBS and Zika.